Elon Musk continues to be a powerful visionary. The thing about thought-leaders like Musk is they are able to see the future in a clearer way than those who aren't at the front-lines of innovation and invention.
One of his most recent claims is that robots will take our jobs and the government will be paying us some kind of universal salary. Speaking frankly on CNBC, Musk claimed the following:
It's a pretty good chance we end up with some kind of universal basic income, or something like that due to automation . . . . Ya, I'm not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen."
For Musk, this is a good thing: it means our time will be freed up for more leisure. What is concerning about his report, however, is just how serious he was--he wasn't embellishing or prevaricating. What he sees as he's working in AI is a reality; it's just how things are going to be--period.
Universal income inevitable?
Switzerland had a referendum on this issue in the Summer of 2016. The government proposed that each adult would receive 2500 Swiss Francs and children receive 625 Swiss Francs. The underlying point of the proposal was a vision of the future in line with Musk's: that automation is taking more jobs, and governments need to support its people. Only 23%, however, voted for the proposal. The counter-argument was that taking away the connection between labour and a wage would be disastrous for society.
While Musk seems to like this idea of a government wage, he has certainly not sat by and watched the grass grow under his feet after selling PayPal for a gazillion dollars. I doubt he's been finding a lot of time for leisure between Tesla, SpaceX, and OpenAI, not to mention his innumerable interviews and TV appearances. But often with people like Musk, what is suitable for the masses isn't suitable for them.
The thing is, Musk has a vision for life. He has a vision for what he wants to accomplish--most people who are heading these innovative companies do.
And this is the lesson, the take-away from Musk's claim: That more so than a government handout, more so than managing a fleet of robots somewhere, the way through this hazy world of automation is to have a vision for your life.
If you have a vision for your life, for what you want to accomplish in the short time you're on this earth, you will get through these precarious times; you will have hope.
If you don't have a vision for your life, you need to find it--you've been given one. You are on this earth for a reason, for a purpose, and your true job--your true calling--is to find it and do it. Will it look like Musk's life? Probably not; but it will be YOUR life. It will be the life only YOU can live doing the things only YOU can do.
If in following your calling in life, in pursuing your vision, you get a handout from the government, consider it gravy--sock it away, invest it, whatever. But don't let the handout define you--let your vision define you.
You are unique. You are here. You have purpose.
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